TRBChttps://www.liberty.edu/champion
Liberty ChampionFri, 16 Feb 2018 22:33:34 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.3https://www.liberty.edu/champion/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cropped-cropped-cropped-libertychampion_logo2-2-32x32.jpgTRBChttps://www.liberty.edu/champion
3232Dr. Falwell as a fatherhttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2017/05/dr-falwell-father/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2017/05/dr-falwell-father/#respondMon, 15 May 2017 19:16:41 +0000https://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=35588When Jonathan Falwell was unanimously voted by thousands of Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) members to succeed Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. as a senior pastor just weeks after his father’s passing, Jonathan Falwell made the congregation a promise that would have made his father proud: If his new role ever came between him and his family, he would “quit in [...]

]]>When Jonathan Falwell was unanimously voted by thousands of Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) members to succeed Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. as a senior pastor just weeks after his father’s passing, Jonathan Falwell made the congregation a promise that would have made his father proud: If his new role ever came between him and his family, he would “quit in a minute.” Now 10 years into leading the church, Jonathan Falwell said his promise stems not only from what he learned and saw from his father, but simply because he knows exactly how it feels to be a father’s priority.

“It’s not just that I learned it by watching, I learned it by what I felt – because of how he made me feel,” Jonathan Falwell said. “I knew I was more important to him than all these other things.”

“All these other things” included advising presidents, leading the Moral Majority, building a university, and traveling the world as a keynote speaker. The Falwell children – Jonathan Falwell, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Dr. Jeannie Falwell Rivers – grew up during a time when Falwell Sr.’s ministry was in full swing: Liberty’s founding in 1971 and the Moral Majority’s in 1979, all while maintaining his role as the pastor of TRBC.

Jerry Falwell Sr. and his wife Macel pose with their children and grandchildren. Photo by Todd Hunley on Dec. 4, 2005.

But each of the Falwell children said the senior Falwell never used his demanding responsibilities as reasons to miss out on their early years and most important moments. In fact, Rivers said that at a young age, she did not even realize her father was traveling so much because he always made it home at night, the result of a rule he put in place that if he spoke east of the Mississippi, he would come home the same day. On many occasions, he would take the kids with him while traveling.

Jerry Falwell Jr. remembers traveling from city to city in a 1966 Buick, where he would man the tables and sell the preaching albums – a miniature preview of his future role as a business manager of Liberty under his father’s leadership.

“I remember one time I had the money stuck in my socks, the money stuck in my pockets, all over,” Jerry Falwell Jr. said. “I just kept pulling it out of different places and giving it to him.”

The children could not always accompany Falwell Sr. on his long-distance trips, but on one of his trips to Minnesota, a 12-year old Jerry Falwell Jr. was determined to surprise his dad for his 41st birthday. Falwell Sr. recounts in his autobiography “Falwell” that the oldest Falwell child convinced his mother, Macel, to buy him a place ticket, and he ended up stuck in Chicago’s O’Hare airport before the connecting flight to Minneapolis.

“I loved the sense of independence and self-worth the children developed early on, but even during the busiest years I tried to maintain a full, rich, loving life together with my family,” Falwell Sr. wrote in the 1997 autobiography. “We refused to let anything or anyone get between us.”

Even though Falwell Sr.’s ministry made him a frequent traveler, Jonathan Falwell said the family never had to wonder if he would be there when they needed him.

“That’s just something that has stuck with me now as a father myself – the absolute importance of my kids knowing that no matter what, you’re there,” Jonathan Falwell said.

When he was not on the job, Falwell Sr. watched sports, cooked hotdogs on the grill and took the family to get ice cream or to the Peaks of Otter in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Jonathan Falwell recalled how his father would advise presidents during the day and by nighttime would be home watching football with the family.

As a grandfather, he placed the same priority on attending his grandchildren’s important moments as he did to his own children. His daughter-in-law Becki Falwell, wife to Jerry Falwell Jr., remembered how when their son Trey played tennis, Falwell Sr. showed up at every home match – and everyone there knew it.

“Big Jerry would pull right beside that court, and he had that train horn, and if Trey made a good shot, he wold blow the horn,” Becki Falwell said.

“He loved to laugh and have a good time,” Jerry Falwell Jr. said, “He just loved people, and even though he was so busy, he found a way to keep time for his family. It was just very unusual.”

Each of the Falwell children have echoed their father’s level of professional success in their own respective fields, with Jerry Falwell Jr. taking the helm at Liberty, Jonathan Falwell the pastor of TRBC, and Jeannie Falwell Rivers the chief of surgery at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond. They all spoke of the importance of their father’s message of perseverance or how he taught that when they set their mind to something and ensured that it aligned with God’s will for their lives, there was nothing they could not do.

When TRBC and his ministry were booming Falwell Sr.’s message was about being the best at what you do. But Jerry Falwell Jr. said his father’s message of, “A man’s greatness is not determined by his talent or his wealth, but rather by what it takes to discourage him,” was developed and lived out during the days of Liberty’s financial struggles. As the Falwell children witnessed their father face struggles and then overcome, they learned to do the same in their own lives.

“One thing that always sticks in my mind because he said it a million times was, ‘Don’t quit.'” Rivers said. “As an adult I realize that more than I did as a child, with a lot of the struggles and difficulties he went though from time to time. He was just the ultimate encourager.”

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2017/05/dr-falwell-father/feed/0Making a joyful noisehttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/03/making-a-joyful-noise/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/03/making-a-joyful-noise/#respondTue, 31 Mar 2015 17:52:33 +0000https://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=28285Thomas Road Baptist Church hosted its eighth annual Night of Worship The string section began to play softly, setting the tone for an evening filled with praise during the School of Music’s eighth annual Night of Worship Sunday, March 29. The rest of the ensemble entered and the Thomas Road Baptist Church sanctuary was filled with sweet music as the [...]

The string section began to play softly, setting the tone for an evening filled with praise during the School of Music’s eighth annual Night of Worship Sunday, March 29.

The rest of the ensemble entered and the Thomas Road Baptist Church sanctuary was filled with sweet music as the massive sea of vocalists joined. The sound continued as the instruments and voices blended to reach a powerful crescendo. The music students captured the audience members’ full attention, causing them to sing along, clap, raise their hands and even shed a few tears.

Praise — Students from Liberty’s School of Music performed for Thomas Road Baptist Church’s congregation. Photo credit: Kiara Leers

Dr. Vernon Whaley, dean of the School of Music, shared that this year’s Night of Worship was planned around Psalm 40:5, which states, “You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.”

In addition to worship led by School of Music students, other Liberty ministry teams, such as LU Praise, also participated. The event also featured videos related to the theme and a brief message from Whaley.

Whaley encouraged the audience to not see this event as a concert, but as a time when they could corporately worship the Lord.

“I love Night of Worship, because it’s amazing how part of the School of Music can get together and just proclaim the testimony of Jesus Christ,” junior Dominique Richburg, a member of LU Praise, said. “I love LU Praise, because it gives me a way to use the talent that God has given me. Especially being a biology major, it’s cool to have the opportunity to lead people in worship and study science.”

Appropriately for Palm Sunday, LU Praise sang “God So Loved” based on John 3:16 by Hillsong. During the song, two men painted an outline of Jesus’ arms, feet and head on four canvases. They added red paint in the spots where his wounds likely would have been. The paint dripped down, bleeding across the canvases, and displayed Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

“It was a great experience having the whole School of Music come together and worship as one body, and it was great watching people in the audience genuinely sing out and praise the Lord with us,” senior David Stoeltzing, a participant in the evening, said. “I want to be a professional musician, because music is a language that speaks directly to the heart. And I feel, as a Christian, that the gospel message is the greatest message to convey.”

According to Whaley, there are currently 2,069 students in the School of Music, but he projected that numbers will continue to grow.

Whaley also mentioned Liberty’s School of Music consists of God-honoring faculty that seek to teach students musical skills, and, most importantly, how to share Jesus Christ through their music.

“We want all the work that we do, all the songs that we sing, all the teaching that we do to be done to the glory of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, so that every mountain that Jesus Christ brings us through and every trial that he has us face and that in every blessing, we can say, ‘Hallelujah,’” Whaley said. “And at the end of the day and at the end of our lives, we can say, ‘Lord I give you praise.’”

Whaley wants his students to appreciate what they have been gifted from talents to facilities and to use everything and anything to give praise to God.

“What is truly exciting is moving forward with God’s help, knowing the best is yet to come,” Paul Randlett, a Liberty alumnus from the class of 1993, said during one of
the videos.

According to Whaley, next year’s Night of Worship will be April 17, 2016 in the new music building.
GLOSSNER is a feature reporter.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/03/making-a-joyful-noise/feed/0TRBC dazzleshttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/12/trbc-dazzles/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/12/trbc-dazzles/#respondTue, 02 Dec 2014 21:23:02 +0000https://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=27238Thousands enjoy holiday spectacle Every year around Christmastime, Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) hosts the Virginia Christmas Spectacular, a holiday event that brings a taste of Broadway to Lynchburg, Virginia. “We begin auditions in August,” show director Lorie Marsh said. “Rehearsals begin in September, but we work on the show for about 10 months all together.” Marsh, who has been [...]

Every year around Christmastime, Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) hosts the Virginia Christmas Spectacular, a holiday event that brings a taste of Broadway to Lynchburg, Virginia.

“We begin auditions in August,” show director Lorie Marsh said. “Rehearsals begin in September, but we work on the show for about 10 months
all together.”

Marsh, who has been directing the show since 2008, said that each year, TRBC tries to do something a little different than years past.

“This year is a Radio City-themed variety show that tells the story of God’s redemption, starting with creation all the way up to Jesus’ death,” Marsh said.

Some of those variety numbers include a Motown theme, Victorian, classical and contemporary numbers.

“Since it is a Broadway-style show, we try to have as many variety of styles that we possibly can,” Marsh said.

Unlike years past, which only told the story of redemption through the manger, Marsh said the production will be using video footage of the “Bible” series to help give visuals of Jesus’ life and ministry.

However, the use of the TV series is not the only addition to this year’s version of the show.

“We have a Frozen number featuring Olaf,” Marsh said. “We try to incorporate original music, Christmas favorites and also Christian hits as well.”

With a cast of more than 300 people, which includes Liberty students and members of TRBC, Marsh said the Virginia Christmas Spectacular is more than a small church Christmas production.

“It is really great to have so many talented people working with us,” Marsh said. “It is a product of excellence that we have been told is as good as something that you would see on Broadway.”

Nearly 100 Liberty students make up the cast, choir, backstage crew and actors.

According to Marsh, attendance for the production has ranged from 25,000 to 45,000 over recent years.

“It’s a tradition,” Marsh said. “People come back year after year to see it.”

The show will run Dec. 4-7 to the public. Ticket prices range from $8 to $15 and can be purchased online at virginiachristmasspectacular.com.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/12/trbc-dazzles/feed/0TRBC assists West Virginianshttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/01/trbc-assists-west-virginians/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/01/trbc-assists-west-virginians/#respondTue, 21 Jan 2014 20:45:46 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=24109More than 300,000 people are without water after a chemical spill contamination Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) has teamed up with Gleaning For The World (GFTW) in order to aid the people affected by a chemical spill in West Virginia that left at least 300,000 people without clean drinking water. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, at [...]

]]>More than 300,000 people are without water after a chemical spill contamination

HELP — TRBC members come together to help the civilians of West Virginia have fresh water for drinking. Photo provided

Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) has teamed up with Gleaning For The World (GFTW) in order to aid the people affected by a chemical spill in West Virginia that left at least 300,000 people without clean drinking water.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, at least 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol leaked from several storage tanks into the Elk River in Charleston, W. Va. Thursday, Jan. 9.

At least nine West Virginia counties were affected by the spill, forcing people to drive at least an hour for clean water. Since the spill, residents have been advised to stop drinking, bathing and washing with the contaminated water, according to the city of Charleston’s website.

The Rev. Ronald Davidson, president and chief operation officer of GFTW, said as soon as GFTW was aware of the spill, he contacted the board of directors, including Jonathan Falwell, the head pastor at TRBC and current chairman of GFTW.

“Every time a disaster happens, I send out a text to the board,” Davidson said. “Within five minutes, I get a response.”

Davidson said that with the financial help received from places such as TRBC, Liberty Christian Academy (LCA) and Liberty University, the organization has been able to send several tractor trailers carrying nearly 250,000 water bottles to Charleston. Thousands of people came out to the collection points in West Virginia to get clean water.

“TRBC has a sensational board of directors who combine with (LCA) as well as Liberty University in order to provide relief where it needs to be,” Davidson said.

TRBC also partnered with GFTW to provide water bottles when a million residents in Virginia were hit with a wind storm that knocked out their power in June 2012, according to Davidson.

“We have the best board of directors leading us when unexpected things like this happen,” Davidson said.

In a press release Jan. 14 on the city of Charleston’s website, Danny Jones, the mayor of Charleston, said that relief is still needed.

“Even though the worst of the crisis seems to be behind us, many people still are affected by the ‘Do Not Use’ order, and many more are, quite frankly, very anxious about using the tap water for drinking or cooking,” Jones said.

According to Davidson, GFTW has maintained a steady supply of water to the affected areas in West Virginia as the water improves. Despite the organization’s continued strive to ship more clean water, Davidson said the reason for helping residents in West Virginia stems beyond the goals of an organization — it is a mission from God.

“It is not just a duty,” Davidson said. “It is a calling.”

GFTW is also currently partnered with TRBC and Liberty for a construction of a new hospital in Guatemala, according to Davidson. The aid provided by TRBC and GFTW is in the same category as missions work.

“We used to hear Dr. Falwell say it all the time, and now you hear Jonathan (Falwell) say it,” Davidson said. “When (Christians) go into the world to aid those who need help, the number of Christians multiplies.”

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/01/trbc-assists-west-virginians/feed/0Christmas season inspires servicehttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/12/christmas-season-inspires-service/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/12/christmas-season-inspires-service/#respondTue, 03 Dec 2013 21:00:02 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=24052Students have opportunities to reach out to the Lynchburg community through Liberty, TRBC, World Help Throughout the year, students at Liberty University are encouraged to be active in serving the community and reaching out to those in need, according to Liberty’s Christian/Community Service Web page, and there are many opportunities in the coming Christmas season to show the community the [...]

]]>Students have opportunities to reach out to the Lynchburg community through Liberty, TRBC, World Help

Throughout the year, students at Liberty University are encouraged to be active in serving the community and reaching out to those in need, according to Liberty’s Christian/Community Service Web page, and there are many opportunities in the coming Christmas season to show the community the love of Christ.

One of Liberty’s opportunities to serve was found in the care package drive for members of the military. According to Ashley Eskridge, the military outreach coordinator at the office of Military Affairs, the package drive was a new event this year.

“We had one night empty during Military Emphasis Week,” Eskridge said. “It was nice to have a low-key night.”

Students had the opportunity to drop by one of the classrooms in DeMoss Hall on the night of Nov. 8 and donate various items that would later be packaged and sent overseas. According to Eskridge, when they send the boxes, each member of the military that receives a package will receive a box of food items as well as a box of hygiene items.

The way that soldiers receive these boxes is through family, friends and students at Liberty who give the soldiers’ contact information to the office of Military Affairs. According to Eskridge, there are more than 25,000 military members who make up the Liberty University Online population, and they can send their own information if they wish to get a package.

Information can be sent to the office at any time, but it usually picks up around the holidays.

As Christmas draws closer, other opportunities are open to students and the community through organizations such as Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) and World Help.

According to Tim Gransdstaff, missions and outreach pastor at TRBC, there are multiple opportunities to be involved this year through the church’s ministry Christmas Cares, calling it the “biggest church-wide effort” for Christmas outreach.

One part of this ministry is Christ Cares in the Community, which involves more than 100 outreach events. These events include opportunities such as delivering food baskets to the fire department, police department and local schools.

“We want to go in and say thanks for what you do to serve the community,” Grandstaff said.

Another aspect of Christmas outreach through TRBC involves collecting food and gifts for children who are infants up to 12 years old. The collection will go on until Dec. 14, when 350 children and their parents will attend a Christmas party at TRBC.

According to Grandstaff, an area of Main Street, the main lobby area at TRBC, will be decorated like a winter wonderland. In the winter wonderland, families can participate in the Christmas spirit with activities such as getting a picture with Santa and visiting Mrs. Claus’ sweetshop for cookies and hot chocolate.

For more information and a list of other activities that TRBC is hosting, visit christmascares.org.

When it comes to a twist on holiday traditions, World Help is the place to look. According to Allyn Lyttle, director of communication at World Help, the organization’s outreach events are mostly online-driven, and one of the events that focuses on Christmastime is Gifts of Hope.

Gifts of Hope is a program that allows participants to make purchases for those in impoverished countries in the name of a family member or friend. Gifts range from farm animals and seeds to homes and medical supplies.

According to Lyttle, these gifts can make an impact, because they are something different from a regular Christmas gift, and they help those in need.

For more information about Gifts of Hope and to view a gift catalog, visit worldhelp.net/gifts-hope-catalog.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/12/christmas-season-inspires-service/feed/0TRBC musicalhttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/12/trbc-musical/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/12/trbc-musical/#respondTue, 03 Dec 2013 20:02:02 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=24047Christmas show switches focus Thomas Road Baptist Church, the lights are strung, the set is prepared and the vocal cords are warmed for the 44th annual Virginia Christmas Spectacular (VCS). Staff and volunteers have been tirelessly At working to make certain that this year’s event is a success. The Virginia Christmas Spectacular is Thomas Road’s way of giving back to [...]

Thomas Road Baptist Church, the lights are strung, the set is prepared and the vocal cords are warmed for the 44th annual Virginia Christmas Spectacular (VCS). Staff and volunteers have been tirelessly At working to make certain that this year’s event is a success.

The Virginia Christmas Spectacular is Thomas Road’s way of giving back to the community by spreading Christmas cheer to Central Virginia and beyond. The event consists of joyful singing, dancing and acting.

Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 4, thousands will flood into the worship center at Thomas Road to enjoy the work that nearly 500 people put in over the course of the year. However, the event will only run for one weekend this year, limiting the amount of options for times to see the show, according to the Virginia Christmas Spectacular website.

According to Charles Billingsley, the event’s executive producer and worship leader at Thomas Road, this year’s spectacular is going to be a new experience for all who attend.

“For the last five years or so, we have done a Broadway-type show, but this year, we are changing it up, because we backed the show off to only one weekend instead of two,” Billingsley said. “This year, the VCS is a part of a bigger picture that Thomas Road is putting on during the Christmas season.”

According to Billingsley, Thomas Road is hosting 150 service projects as part of the Christmas experience this year.

“Our philosophy has changed,” Billingsley said. “It used to be that we were just about entertaining the people of Central Virginia with the story of Christmas. We are now trying to reach Central Virginia with the message. Instead of ‘Hey, come check us out here,’ it’s ‘Hey, let’s come to you.’”

Billingsley, who has been a part of the VCS for ten years, explained some of the changes that will be seen in the 2013 production.

“This year, VCS is heavier on the music, with less emphasis on an actual storyline,” Billingsley said. “If you like Christmas music, this show is for you.”

Production for the huge Christmas show began this year in February, according to Billingsley.

“We begin talking about the show in February,” Billingsley said. “By April, we usually have a good idea about what we want to do for it. Then by June, music and a script is picked out. “We begin rehearsals in August.”

In addition to the Thomas Road staff who work to put on this event, Liberty students also give their time to make this show a success. Filling the two stage Christmas trees which have 250,000 total lights and multiple platforms that allow 250 choir singers to stand in the form of a tree, are some of Liberty’s School of Music students. Several musicians in the band and orchestra are also students at Liberty, according to Billingsley.

Students are invited to attend the show Wednesday, Dec. 4 with doors opening at 6 p.m. They will be able to see the show free of charge with a student ID. However, seating is limited, and students will be asked to sit in specified areas in the back of the auditorium or in the balcony.

General admission begins Dec. 5 and runs through Dec. 8. Tickets are $8 or $12 based on seat location.

For more information, showtimes or to buy tickets, visit virginiachristmasspectacular.com or call 888-244-2178.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/12/trbc-musical/feed/0TRBC Lifegroup plants church in St. Petersburghttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/08/trbc-lifegroup-plants-church-in-st-petersburg/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/08/trbc-lifegroup-plants-church-in-st-petersburg/#commentsWed, 28 Aug 2013 18:40:13 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=22097Familiar faces smiled warmly at a computer screen placed in the middle of the room as an eager hello echoed through the webcam and around the house in Lynchburg where Reliance Lifegroup was having its weekly meeting...

]]>Familiar faces smiled warmly at a computer screen placed in the middle of the room as an eager hello echoed through the webcam and around the house in Lynchburg where Reliance Lifegroup was having its weekly meeting. Born out of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Reliance Lifegroup is a small gathering of Christians that grew into a motivated group working towards the same goal. The members felt God calling them to Florida.

New beginnings — Reliance Lifegroup is planting a church in Florida. Photo provided

“What we want to do is we want to show them (the St. Petersburg community) what belonging to Christ is really all about,” Danny Lewis, head pastor of Reliance Lifegroup, said. “They don’t need another church building, they need authentic life. They need a real life in Christ.”

According to Danny, after hearing of the spiritual need in Florida, he began praying with his wife, Mary, about the possibility of planting a church in St. Petersburg. As the head pastor of the Reliance Lifegroup, Danny brought his prayer request about planting a church in St. Petersburg before the members. Several responded by sharing their feelings of a similar call in their lives.

“We’re at the starting line and just waiting for God’s green light,” Devin Quesenberry, a member of Reliance Lifegroup, said.

Danny and Mary, along with their two daughters, made the move to St. Petersburg, Fl., July 1, 2013, to begin making a difference in the community. Currently, four of the members of Reliance Lifegroup have joined them in Florida, while others, such as Quesenberry and his wife Sarah, are preparing for the move. However, because a number of Reliance Lifegroup members are alumni or current students of Liberty, they must stay and make a difference in Lynchburg rather than in Florida for now.

“This has been going on for a while, we’re all kind of running a long race right now, but in the moment, if you just take perspective, it’s crazy how God showed up,” Quesenberry said.

The core group of Reliance Lifegroup members in Lynchburg has remained active with the planting of Reliance Church. The group has used Facebook to rally support and prayers from other believers and to communicate with Danny about decisions and plans. Also, regardless of the distance, the group still has a sermon from Danny each week over webcam.

“We’re going to be a church that reaches the community, and that means that whoever God brings in our path, (from) homeless guys all the way up to Bill Gates, we’re going to minister to these people and invite them to be a part of it,” Quesenberry said.

Currently, Reliance Lifegroup in Florida meets at the Lewis’s house each week for worship and a sermon from Danny. During this time, Bethany Hastings runs the Kid’s Reliance Clubhouse, which also meets at the Lewis home. Mary also leads a Reliance women’s ministry. According to Danny, he plans on Reliance Church being composed of many small groups that provide individual attention while the church as a whole will have corporate Wednesday and Sunday worship services.

“We want to live life beside people, not just witness to people,” Danny said. “We believe in Christ, we believe in their need for Christ, but we want them to see Christ in our lives and not just hear about Christ from our mouths.”

After service each Sunday, Reliance Lifegroup goes into the community to reach people. According to Danny, the group has adopted a local restaurant where members enter wearing church T-shirts and make a statement simply with their presence. When members of the community express curiosity about the group, it is then that Reliance Lifegroup will begin to engage the people of the neighborhood.

“Because of the diversity of religions and the hothead of different philosophies and topics, it’s an area that’s more hostile to the gospel,” Reliance Lifegroup member Michael Johnson said.

According to the Reliance Church’s official website, St. Petersburg is the most depressed city in America. The headquarters of Scientology is located in a neighboring city and according to Men’s Health in America, St. Petersburg has consistently been ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous places to live.

“Whether or not it’s through Reliance or somewhere else, Liberty students can change the world,” Danny said. “Liberty is a great platform to do so much good.”

Reliance Lifegroup is currently in the process of acquiring a building for services. Liberty University will be sending a team to Florida Oct. 24-27 to help with the church’s official opening. As a missions trip, Liberty will greet first-time visitors to the church, welcoming them through the doors and helping to lead them to a life spent with Christ. Visit reliance-church.com for information about the trip or ways to help Reliance.